The downfall of orcs - A WoW mistake
by TLHellmann
Summary: An essay about the progression and image of orcs ever since Cataclysm, Garrosh's lead and Thrall's messiah-like character change. A critical view on the step back from the moderate Thrall era which made orcs the anti-heroes for the first time in fantasy history. This is my personal opinion about the critical state of orcs in Warcraft.


Ever since fantasy writers began to write stories about orcs, they were stupid, aggressive beasts. A bunch of ugly beings serving one sole purpose: To give the heroes something to kill and celebrate victories afterwards. Tolkien used them as the pure evil guys. Brown abominations which more than often feel Legolas' arrows piercing their bodies.

Then, Warcraft appeared in the 90s. A franchise which was going to change the way we see orcs. The first two games, Warcraft 1 and 2, still were 'strict' good vs. evil. The humans defend their world against the invading green savages. But even if the orcs were evil at that time, there was a reason for it: They were minions of demons. Trapped in a bloodlust, caused by their own stupidity, blind obedience and lust for power.

In the year 2001, a young orc appeared on the screen. Thrall, raised by humans, should change everything. He, in the novel Lord of the Clans, was the first orc who willingly cultivated a human lady's friendship. Her name was Taretha and they regarded each other as brother and sister. They proved that friendship between orcs and humans is possible and that peace can be achieved after two decades of hatred and war. In the end, he, the +7" tall gentle monster, even cried for her.

The writers pushed this concept even further in Warcraft 3. He asked his orcs to not attack the humans anymore. To focus on the real threat. He befriended another human lady. Jaina Proudmoore, soon one of the strongest mages in the world of Warcraft. They joined forces and Jaina helped lifting the demonic curse from the orcish blood. After successfully defeating the demon, the friendship remained strong. Even after her father attacked the orcs in an act of revenge for two blood-soaked decades. Orcs, once brutal savages, became reasonable anti-heroes. They were not evil anymore.

World of Warcraft and its novels first kept this concept. Jaina and Thrall met multiple times, as friends. They really liked each other against all odds. In the novels, no orc attacked Jaina. Rexxar, one of the main characters of The Frozen Throne, even defended her. They met in Razor Hill, in Orgrimmar, in Theramore. Jaina helped him, she was good for him and the orcs. A good amount of fans shipped them ever since Warcraft 3. It would have been an interesting, though difficult next step. However, it should all become worse.

Cataclysm was announced and the tie-in novel foreshadowed what will become a gigantic mistake. Jaina helped the tauren during a civil war and once again showed her warmhearted attitude towards the Horde. At the same time, as seen in the game, Thrall stepped down from his warchief position and lifted Garrosh to power. Every character was against it and they all were right. Other than Blizzard and the fans, as they loved to see orcs becoming stupid warmonging beasts again. For reasons I cannot understand.  
The shippers sank as well when Thrall married his newly invented arm candy Aggra. And now she is nothing more than an arm candy baby machine.

Then, Blizzard made a huge mistake which destroyed the good orc reputation for a long time.  
During Cataclysm, Tides of War and Mists of Pandaria, the orcs became the brutal, warmonging savages again. Garrosh destroyed Theramore and Jaina's character. And the last chance for peace between the factions. The orcs faced a downfall which fans and Blizzard alike enjoyed. Both sides ignored and did not realize the orcs were thrown back to a pre-Warcraft 3 state. When Theramore exploded and Garrosh caused every single problem in Pandaria, the 'good orcs', initiated by Thrall, were no more.

Even worse: Thrall himself never cared about his past attitude, his desire for peace again. He no longer demanded it. He became an ignorant asshole, only caring for his family and not realizing how dark the world around him has become ever since he elected Garrosh. Forgetting where he came from. A brave orc who befriended a human lady, treating her like a sister and proving that honesty and friendship between those races is possible - an experience that helped him befriending Jaina and achieving peace in Warcraft 3. But the new Thrall? He did not seek revenge for Jaina, he did not seek vengeance for his destroyed lifework.

The downfall continued with War Crimes and Warlord of Draenor. Thrall ignored everyone, again. He gave Jaina up ALTHOUGH he regrets her dying as his enemy. An inconsistency again, added to all his past 'This is not Thrall' moments. And WoD? Well, it only added to the pre-Warcraft 3 image of the "RAWR! ORCS!" reputation. Especially with one of the worst "rule of cool" decisions. The story gamers will remember Grom's arc in this addon. A rule of cool many fans would have loudly refused if it was written by Richard A. Knaak. Fans who on the other hand buy and love everything the WoW writers do, no matter how badly written it is or how many plot holes it has.

The moment Blizzard decided to push Garrosh, they began a mistake which still backfires until today. I agree, a warchief with a spine was good. But a warchief throwing an entire race back to its 'being stupid beasts' roots? This was unnecessary. It would have been way better if, right from the start, the orcs were split into two 'halves'. One half liking Garrosh, one half remembering the rather calm times with Thrall and realising what Garrosh is about to cause. Instead, Blizzard's mistake was to throw every orc besides a hand full of individuals behind Garrosh. And so the fans celebrated him as well. Those, who never read Lord of the Clans and never played Warcraft 3. Those who did not / could not experience the rise of the moderate "leave us in peace" orcs.

My hope was that Blizzard learns from their mistakes and solves some issues with the characters and races in Legion. But then? Nothing changed. Thrall got worse and worse. Instead of mourning his lost or dead friends, he rather mourns Garrosh because of his lost powers. Jaina's progression and handshake with Thrall at the end of Warcrimes, showing a sign of forgiveness and some hope for their friendship? All gone. All neglected. The orcs finally being the 'no threat unless threatened' anti-heroes again? Ask Gul'dan, yet another evil orc filled with cliched lines, what he thinks about it.

As a conclusion, Jaina's father was right: Orcs are nothing but monsters.  
And that is all Blizzard's fault. They set the orcs back to be stupid, savage beast with Garrosh's lead. A fault they will never realize because their writers nowadays are unable to write believable, consistent characters. Because they will NEVER make one character, namely Thrall, regret his mistakes which led to the orcish downfall and lost friends. And I truly feel sorry for Christie Golden who puts so much effort into her stories and characters only to see it ignored by Blizzard, (Jaina's progression in Warcrimes that is entirely neglected) or unread by the fans.

I, for one, will never be able again to like and enjoy orcs the way I embraced them from Warcraft 3 to Cataclysm. Even Thrall, the hero of my youth, the hero of my alternate timeline story, the husband of Jaina and vice-mayor of a neutral Theramore at the end of my personal Warcraft version, has lost all his glory in my mind. I solely blame Blizzard's horrible character writing skills.

~T.L. Hellmann


End file.
